Explosive.



and HAROLD E. THOMPSON,

residing at Buffalo,

Ochroma Zagopus,

TD STATES PATENT or To.

PIERRE E. HAYNES AND HAROLD E. THOMPSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO THE LINDE AIR PRODUCTS COMPANY, 0F

OF OHIO.

CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION EXPLOSIVE.

1 282 22% Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that we, PIERRE E. HAYNES both citizens of the United States, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosives, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrlption.

This invention relates to explosive compounds or mixtures of the type in Wl11Cl1 a combustible substance, preferably a sohd carbon-compound, is impregnated or mixed with a liquefied as capable of supporting the combustion 0 said substance. Its chief object is to provide a powerful explosive of this class, which shall be safe to handle and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. To this and other ends the invention consists in the novel mixture, compound, or composition of matter herelnafter described.

Heretofore, in explosives of the class indicated, lamp black, charcoal, asphalt, parafiin and like materials have been used as combustible in edients, with liquid oxygen as the combustion-supporting,agent. In order that more oxygen may be absorbed it has been roposed to mix more or less kieselguhr wit the combustible, but as kieselguhr is inert, that is, incombustible, its presence on the whole is not always beneficial. fact it may actually diminish the force of the explosion.

In our composition we use liquid oxygen, or liquid ozone, or a mixture 0 the two as the oxidizing or combustion-supporting agent, and the oxidizable or combustible ingredient is preferably wood, cellulose, charcoal or carbon obtained from trees, bushes, etc., of the ochroma family, preferably balsa tree. The wood is preferably ground, shredded, cut or otherwise disintegrated to suitable fineness, and dried; and may, if desired, be in the form of charcoal. The ma terial so obtained is made up into cartridges and when immersed in liquid air, oxygen or ozone or any mixture thereof, is completely and uniformly saturated. Upon withdrawal from the liquid, superficial evaporation ensues, and the liquid evaporated from the surface is replaced by liquid from the inner ,drocarbon compounds, such as vulgarly known as the' Application filed MarchB, 1918. Serial No. 221,305.

portions so that substantial uniformity of impregnation is maintained.

Among the advantages that we have found in the use of balsa Wood in some form 1s its remarkable absorptive power, being capable of taking up a far-greater quantity of the oxidizing liquid than are the combustibles mentioned above as hitherto employed in explosives of this class. Moreover, finely divided balsa wood or fiber may be used without other preliminary treatment than the removal of water, though we prefer that it be thoroughly carbonized.

We have found that liquid ozone, and mixtures of liquid ozone and liquid oxygen, do not react spontaneously with certain hypara and that a cartridge containmg such substances, with kieselguhr or other absorbent, possesses greater explosive energy than a cartridge of the same volume using liquid oxygen instead of or without liquid ozone. Furthermore, liquid ozone has a density almost fifty per cent. greater than liquid ogygen and hence represents a correspondingly greater concentration of gaseous oxygen. It also has the peculiar characteristic of combining with the combustible more rapidly and more violently than does liquid ogygen. And its boiling point being considerably higher than that of liquid ogygen it evaporates less rapidly than the latter in a mixture containing the two. Hence loss from such a mixture by evaporation tends to a concentration of ozone, the more valuable of the two ingredients.

It is to be understood that the invention bustible and one or more liquefied gases capable of oxidizing the combustible, as set forth.

2. A composition of matter for use as an explosive, containing carbonized balsa wood as a combustible and one or more liquefied gases capable of oxidizing the combustible.

3. A composition of matter for use as an explosive, containing balsa wood and liquid as an explosive, containing carbonized balsa ozone. wood and liquid ozone.

4. A composition of matter for use as an In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix explosive, containing a combustible and our signatures. 5 liquid ozone. PIERRE E, HAYNES. 5. A new composition of matter foluse HAROLD E. THOMPSON. 

